What I mean by that is I’ve heard countless stories of people who say that when they are drunk, and something happens to, let’s say, a friend, and they can’t take care of themselves, they can “sober up” and handle the situation, even though they’re also just as drunk most of the time. Obviously, that’s not how alcohol works in the body, so what is really happening when someone can go from being in a drunken state to a sober, alert state almost like a flipping a switch?
In: Biology
Likely, they are pretending. You don’t magically undo the alcohol in your blood.
More likely, people are loose and having fun, so they seem sloppy, and then the situation changes and they get serious and they *think* they are focusing and composed… but their mental and motor functions are still just as compromised.
Another factor could be adrenaline, or drugs. Like how some people do blow and think that snaps them out of being drunk. Nope, now they are just drunk and high. Adrenaline can be a drug too, and can get you moving when needed, like if you are attacked while partying.
The important thing to remember is all of the above is NOT an excuse to do something stupid like drink and drive. There is no light switch, you are just drunk and making drunk decisions and pretending you flipped a switch and are now “better” but you aren’t, it takes time to filter out the alcohol.
Now for your example, the answer is simple. Caring for a friend can be done while you are drunk. So if your friend gets hurt, that’s a serious situation so you help them… while you are drunk. You aren’t able to drive them safely, you can’t safely stitch a wound necessarily, but you can still grab them water and carry them and do some other things. Drunk people can still do some stuff, they just have to also know not to test those limits behind the wheel or in other seriously risky moves
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